There is a fascinating Rashi towards the end of Parshat Haazinu which gives an important insight into the Asseret Yemei Teshuva, the ten days of repentance between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
The Torah describes the voyage of Moshe to Mount Nebo on the final day of his life.
Devarim 32: 48וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בְּעֶ֛צֶם הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה לֵאמֹֽר׃That very day the LORD spoke to Moses:
49עֲלֵ֡ה אֶל־הַר֩ הָעֲבָרִ֨ים הַזֶּ֜ה הַר־נְב֗וֹ אֲשֶׁר֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מוֹאָ֔ב אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־פְּנֵ֣י יְרֵח֑וֹ וּרְאֵה֙ אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן אֲשֶׁ֨ר אֲנִ֥י נֹתֵ֛ן לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לַאֲחֻזָּֽה׃
Ascend these heights of Abarim to Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab facing Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving the Israelites as their holding.
Rashi focuses our attention to the use of the phrase בְּעֶ֛צֶם הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה, that very day, making an analogy to its usage by Moshe's final journey and two previous times in the Torah that this phrase appears, by Noah's entrance into the ark prior to the flood and by the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.
רש״י וידבר ה' אל משה בעצם היום הזה. בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה מְקוֹמוֹת נֶאֱמַר בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, נֶאֱמַר בְּנֹחַ "בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה בָּא נֹחַ וְגוֹ'" (בראשית ז') — בְּמַרְאִית אוֹרוֹ שֶׁל יוֹם, לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ בְנֵי דוֹרוֹ אוֹמְרִים בְּכַךְ וְכַךְ אִם אָנוּ מַרְגִּישִׁין בּוֹ, אֵין אָנוּ מַנִּיחִין אוֹתוֹ לִכָּנֵס בַּתֵּבָה, וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא אָנוּ נוֹטְלִין כַּשִּׁילִין וְקַרְדּוּמוֹת וּמְבַקְּעִין אֶת הַתֵּבָה, אָמַר הַקָּבָּ"ה הֲרֵינִי מַכְנִיסוֹ בַּחֲצִי הַיּוֹם וְכָל מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּיָדוֹ כֹחַ לִמְחוֹת יָבֹא וְיִמְחֶה; בְּמִצְרַיִם נֶאֱמַר "בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה הוֹצִיא ה'" (שמות י"ב), לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ מִצְרִיִּים אוֹמְרִים בְּכַךְ וְכַךְ אִם אָנוּ מַרְגִּישִׁין בָּהֶם, אֵין אָנוּ מַנִּיחִין אוֹתָם לָצֵאת, וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא אָנוּ נוֹטְלִין סַיָּפוֹת וּכְלֵי זַיָּן וְהוֹרְגִין בָּהֶם, אָמַר הַקָּבָּ"ה הֲרֵינִי מוֹצִיאָן בַּחֲצִי הַיּוֹם וְכָל מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ כֹחַ לִמְחוֹת יָבֹא וְיִמְחֶה; אַף כַּאן בְּמִיתָתוֹ שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה נֶאֱמַר "בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה", לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹמְרִים בְּכַךְ וְכַךְ אִם אָנוּ מַרְגִּישִׁין בּוֹ — אֵין אָנוּ מַנִּיחִין אוֹתוֹ, אָדָם שֶׁהוֹצִיאָנוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם וְקָרַע לָנוּ אֶת הַיָם וְהוֹרִיד לָנוּ אֶת הַמָּן וְהֵגִיז לָנוּ אֶת הַשְּׂלָיו וְהֶעֱלָה לָנוּ אֶת הַבְּאֵר וְנָתַן לָנוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, אֵין אָנוּ מַנִּיחִין אוֹתוֹ, אָמַר הַקָּבָּ"ה הֲרֵינִי מַכְנִיסוֹ בַחֲצִי הַיּוֹם וְכוּ' (ספרי):
וידבר ה' אל משה בעצם היום הזה AND THE LORD SPAKE TO MOSES THAT SELF SAME DAY —
In three places in Scripture the expression בעצם היום הזה is used.
It states in the narrative of Noah (Genesis 7:12) בעצם היום הזה entered Noah … [into the ark]” — which means in the glare of full daylight. Because his contemporaries said: By this and by that we swear: If we notice him about to do so we will not let him enter the ark, and not only that, but we will take axes and hatchets and we will split the ark in pieces. Thereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “See, I will let him enter at midday and anyone who has power to prevent it, let him come and prevent it!”
Of Egypt, too, it states, (Exodus All. 11) “The selfsame day the Lord did bring [the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt]”: because the Egyptians said: By this and by that! If we notice them about to do so, we will not let them leave, and not only that, but we will take swords and other weapons and will kill them. Thereupon said the Holy One, blessed be He, “See, I will bring them forth in the middle of the day, and anyone who has power to prevent it, let him come and prevent it!”
Here, too, regarding Moses’ death, it states בעצם היום הזה, because the children of Israel said, By this and by that! If we notice him about to ascend the mountain, we will not let him do so, — the man who brought us out of Egypt, and divided the Red Sea for us, and brought the Manna down for us, and brought a flight of quails for us, and made the “well” rise, and gave us the Torah: we will not permit him to go!” Thereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Behold, I will bring him unto his resting place in the middle of the day, etc.” (Sifrei Devarim 337; cf. Rashi on Genesis 17:23). -Source: Sefaria
In each of these three examples, people wish to prevent an event from occurring. God counters saying that this event will take place, בְּעֶ֛צֶם הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה, right in the middle of the day, to indicate that man cannot defy the will of the creator.
The analogy appears to be a difficult one to understand. In the first two instances, the people want to stop an event from occurring by killing the protagonist. Those living in the time of the flood wish to prevent Noah's entrance to the ark either by killing him or rendering the ark unseaworthy. The Egyptians wish to prevent the Exodus by killing the children of Israel. Barring an intervention by the Almighty, the people should be able to accomplish these tasks.
However, by Moshe, the people wish to stop God from taking Moshe's life. How can the Israelites possibly think they can prevent this? God can cause a person to die if he wishes. There is nothing a mortal being can do to stop this.
I asked this question to my Rav, Rabbi Avrohom Stone, and he pointed out a discrepancy between the account of the Israelites by Moshe and the two previous incidents. The children of Israel list all of the things that Moshe has done for them. He brought them out of Egypt, split the sea, gave them food and water, and gave them the Torah. It is these details which explain what the people were thinking.
The children of Israel said that God could not cause Moshe to die because they still needed him. It might have been Moshe's time to leave the world but the people thought that if they could counter God with the argument that they were still dependent of Moshe for their daily physical and spiritual lives, then God would have no choice, so to speak, but to keep Moshe alive on their behalf.
God counters this argument, perhaps because he wished for the people to be led by Joshua who represented a new generation of leadership less dependent on miracles. However, the fundamental truism remains.
God judges a person not only based on his deeds but on how he influences others as well.
A powerful point to ponder during the days of awe is how we each live in a system of interconnected lives. While a human judge can only consider the deeds of the person in front of him, God who is omniscient, considers the whole person, how she is interconnected with every other person. This extends not only to every person living in the present but even to those in his past and future as we say in the Zichronot section of the Musaf on Rosh Hashana.
Machzor Rosh Hashanah Ashkenaz Musaf Zichronot
אַתָּה זוֹכֵר אֶת כָּל הַמִּפְעָל.
You remember all that has been done,
וְגַם כָּל־הַיְצוּר
and even all that which is formed
לֹא נִכְחַד מִמֶּֽךָּ.
is not concealed from You.
הַכֹּל גָּלוּי וְיָדֽוּעַ לְפָנֶֽיךָ
All is revealed and known before You
ה׳ אֱלֹקינוּ.
Hashem, our God
צוֹפֶה וּמַבִּיט
Who observes and looks
עַד סוֹף כָּל הַדּוֹרוֹת.
until the end of all generations.
Every person, past, present, and future stands before God in perfect judgement.
When praying for our family and friends, the number one consideration is how they positively affect us. This is not a selfish thought. It is the essence of why praying for others is beneficial. Through our prayers, we express how important a person means to us. This in turn can positively affect that person's judgment. And when considering how we can change for the better, the best way for us to transform ourselves is by helping others. God's judgement will then not only look at us and our deeds but how we affect those around us. May we be written and inscribed for a year of health and happiness.